stuff i think

You're the icing on the cake...

I've been enjoying the wee hours of the past few mornings by taking one of the Psalms and studying down every scriptural rabbit trail that Biblegateway.com, Crosswalk.com and my Thompson Chain-Reference Bible can offer. It's always amazing to realize what's just below the surface of the text.

This morning I was reading Psalm 8, which starts with the Psalmist writing "O Lord, Our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth." In the Hebrew language that the writer was using, majesty (at least in this context) is rydda, and refers primarily to the natural majesty of the earth...the writer is literally saying that he sees the majesty of God in creation itself.

I can't help but think of my friends, gathering this weekend on one of the most majestic places I've ever been, the Black Rock Desert, for Burning Man. The dry lakebed, 12 x 15 miles of vast emptiness, would seem desolate if only viewed on a map, but in person, the dry air, the vibrant sky, and the Black Rock Mountains ringing the playa combine for a breathtaking vista. In that place, it's easy to see the majesty of His Majesty.

The Psalmist goes on to say "when I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars which You have set in place, what is man that You are mindful of him?? In other words: Given the beauty of nature on the face of the earth, why does God bother with man? It's hard to get into the mind of the Diety, but it is easy to imagine the temptation to fiddle with the rainforests or watch a herd of gazelle rather than move on the deceitful hearts of men. Who are we, Father, that you consider us?

The Psalmists' question is answered in the next few verses, where he writes "You...(have) crowned him with glory and honor." That glory and honor, in the Hebrew language, refers to ornamentation. Think of us as some kind of cosmic Christmas bulb on the biggest Christmas tree in the universe. Twinkle, Twinkle, little stars.

Some would think man a blight on the face of the planet, but God thinks differently. We are not the blight - in His eyes, we are extra measure of beauty designed to complete His creation.

It makes perfect sense that in the glorious setting of the Black Rock Desert, the people gathering there are God's decorations. They are the artwork of the Master Artist. May they know Him, and burn brightly in His name.